|  | Surgeries Operations | Surgeries

Incentive Spirometer for Respiratory Complications

An incentive spirometer is a hand-held, portable medical device comprised of a breathing tube with a mouthpiece that is attached to an air chamber, with an indicator inside the device. It allows you or your health care provider to measure how much air you can breath into your lungs, and how deeply you can breathe.

  1. Benefits

    • Health care providers will recommend that people with respiratory problems use an incentive spirometer regularly to achieve effective inspiration (inhalation ability). It helps to exercise the muscles in the lungs that are used for breathing and can help to clear the airways of mucus. Regular use of an incentive spirometer can open the airways and get air deeper into the lungs.

    Who Should Use an Incentive Spirometer

    • People who have lung diseases, who smoke, who have experienced an extended period of time under anesthesia, who have been in bed for an extended period of time, or who have had a recent abdominal, head, neck, or chest surgery may be able to improve their respiratory function by using an incentive spirometer. The device may also help people who are inactive or cannot move about for some reason. Spirometers are safe for use by children and adults.

    How to Use an Incentive Spirometer

    • First, sit up straight, trying to keep your head and neck centered over your body. Move the target pointer on the spirometer to the measurement that your health care provider told you to aim for. Holding the spirometer in both hands, and in an upright position, first exhale, then place your mouth on the mouthpiece of the spirometer with your lips sealed around it. Inhale slowly and deeply, trying to raise the indicator to your target measurement. Inhale for as long as you can, then exhale normally. Record the highest level you can reach. You should do this five to ten times an hour or as instructed by your health care provider. You may need to strongly cough mucus out of your airways after each use. Be sure to clean the mouthpiece with water and shake it dry after each use.

    How to Obtain an Incentive Spirometer

    • If you've been in the hospital and have been using an incentive spirometer, it will be sent home with you when you leave. Or you can purchase one for about $15.00 on the Internet or at any medical supply store. Ask your health care provider what model you should purchase.

    When Incentive Spirometry is Not Enough

    • Incentive spirometry provides a good measure of a patient's lung function for physicians in the days after a surgery. However, physical therapy is still the most effective mechanism to help a patient's recovery and avoid respiratory problems and complications following a surgical procedure.

Surgeries - Related Articles